Redemptive Suffering

[BobCatholic]

Those who suffer are being kissed by the crucified Christ.

– Blessed Theresa of Calcutta (Mother Theresa)

Can I be kissed by the Glorified Christ and be healed of my sufferings? Or is that evil of me not to want to suffer?

 

[mercytruth]

Theres some distortion or superstition here. With some of these viewpoints I can say—ignore Mathew 25 where Christ says to feed the hungry & clothe the naked because its God^s will that they “suffer”. Or James writing true religion is helping the widow & orphan,why should I? there suffering & its good,according to the logic here. All you who are sick,forget about medication or surgery, suffering is good.What a load of nonsense.Christ who healed countless people,the psalmists praise God for deliverance,God delivering his people,Jesus saying "my yoke is light ". The apostles spoke of suffering because of persecution of the faith & the hardship preaching the gospel to hostile peoples.They didn^t seek out suffering(like some of the medeval saints) like some mosochistic individual.They suffered for righteousness sake as Jesus mentions in the Beatitudes. Suffering happens whether your a believer or not(Its not God who creates suffering).We can offer it up to God just like we can offer up our joys or victories to God.However seeking comfort & healing in God is what the bible points to.Remember Christ^s blood redeems not your blood

I think that what you have written has merit. We should not seek out suffering, and we should be prayerful and discerning regarding the suffering we face in ourselves or others.
Jesus prayed to his heavenly Father, "if it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will, but thy will be done"

St. Paul prayed to God several times for the thorn of the flesh to be removed from him, but God said to him, that 'my strength is made perfect in weakness"

These accounts of Jesus Christ, and of St. Paul who had prayed to our heavenly Father for the alleviation of their suffering should be examples of how we approach our own suffering. Pray first, and then accept God’s will with His grace, faith and thanksgiving.

God’s peace be with you

micah

 

[kalbertone]

Open for your discernment…

I would like to quote from Maria Simma who recently passed away March 19, 2004, when asked about suffering, she had this to say…

*“Second only to life itself and the time in which to do good while we are here, suffering is the biggest gift from God there is. While suffering here, we still receive the grace to do good deeds; but once we are in Purgatory that is over forever. Suffering always heals something, and we must trust in God that it is always for our good and for His glory.

There is one enormous grace that comes with suffering that I’d like to emphasize. It is in suffering that people find each other and find each other’s hearts. In suffering the other person becomes the important one and without suffering most people tend to think only of themselves first….”*

Suffering is not the biggest gift from God there is.God does not will suffering.When he created the world there was no suffering.Since man fell,suffering came into existence.God can allow suffering to take place in the believer for reasons like Testing Faith(as was the case with JOB),getting our attention if we have forgotten him,helping us to learn something like being more sympathetic to our neighbour but in the end it is not something that he is giving out like candy to a baby.Prayer,almsgiving hold much more weight that walking down the street with a rock in your shoe & offering up to God(the discomfort of your pain in the shoe from the rock).Reason & rational & conscience are called upon in how to appropriate these manners.Nevertheless enjoy life,praise God for all the good that comes your way.When your in need pray for healing,deliverance & health.Nothing new as far as scripture goes.Remember Paul spoke the way he did because the church suffered under Nero,he suffered for a just cause.Do penance reasonably & stop treating God like he get a “spritual kick” out of suffering.

 

[Edward_H]

I’d like to get some thoughts about this situation: a Protestant friend of mine that I’ve known most of my life is going through a situation similar to one I’ve gone through (and indeed am still going through) and has asked me how I cope with the suffering. Well, what I do as a Catholic is offer my suffering up to Christ for the conversion of my family, for reparation of my sins, and for various other intentions… and it helps me cope in a way because I feel close to Christ and His suffering when I do this…

However, I know this lady inside and out (we were best friends as girls), and I know that this is just going to sound way too Catholic for her! She believes that God allows us to suffer in order to mold us into better Christians, so to speak, but there’s a big step between that and the concept of redemptive suffering or offering our suffering up for others - I think this just sounds too mystical or something to the Protestant ear (it did to mine before I converted!). Does anyone know of a good way to explain this concept in not-so-Catholic terminology?

I’ve been inundating her with the moral teachings of the Church in relation to the trouble she’s going through, and I just don’t think she’s ready for such a deep Catholic view on the value of suffering itself. She might reject it simply because it sounds Catholic. However, I know that it could help her if she could really understand it in her own non-Catholic language. Any advice?

Thanks!
Nicole

Tell her it’s very Biblical. It’s right in the Gospel. Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus’s cross. Could Jesus have asked for his angels help? A legion would have descended instantly to his aid. God wanted to involve him in his salvific act; and, He gives us the same ability.

Tell her: Jesus’s saving act is still ever present to the Father. His actions, unlike ours, aren’t constrained by time and space. God experiences all actions as “present”.

 

[kalbertone]

As St Paul reminds us Christ^s passion & death would be meaningless & futile if he did
not rise from the dead.The glory,triumph & victory of the ressurrection.

 

[kalbertone]

Can I be kissed by the Glorified Christ and be healed of my sufferings? Or is that evil of me not to want to suffer?

It is not evil of you to not want to suffer.Suffering happens to all of us time to time.I don^t know what your issue is but hopefully your suffering will become less & eliminated.Use the tools you have to try to improve your lot.Stay away from this distortion of suffering that is based more on medeval theology than the gospel

 

[kalbertone]

Open for your discernment…

I would like to quote from Maria Simma who recently passed away March 19, 2004, when asked about suffering, she had this to say…

*“Second only to life itself and the time in which to do good while we are here, suffering is the biggest gift from God there is. While suffering here, we still receive the grace to do good deeds; but once we are in Purgatory that is over forever. Suffering always heals something, and we must trust in God that it is always for our good and for His glory.

There is one enormous grace that comes with suffering that I’d like to emphasize. It is in suffering that people find each other and find each other’s hearts. In suffering the other person becomes the important one and without suffering most people tend to think only of themselves first….”*

I think The eucharist & the gospel wich means Good news is a little better gift than suffering. so is falling in love,having a first child & enjoying the seasons etc